General News of Thursday, 18 May 2017

Source: classfmonline.com

Delta 8: Police 'incompetent' – Bentil

Kofi Bentil, Vice President of Policy Think Tank, IMANI Ghana Kofi Bentil, Vice President of Policy Think Tank, IMANI Ghana

The police officers who handled the case of the eight members of the Delta Force who were freed by the Kumasi Circuit Court on Wednesday, were either "monumentally incompetent or criminally complicit" in the matter, Kofi Bentil, a private legal practitioner and Vice President of policy think tank IMANI Ghana, has said.

A Kumasi Circuit Court on Wednesday, 17 May, struck out the case against the eight persons who aided the escape of 13 of their members arrested for assaulting Ashanti regional security coordinator George Agyei, after a court hearing.

The court, presided over by Her Honour Patricia Amponsah, discontinued the case because the prosecution said they lacked evidence against the accused persons.

The prosecutor, ACP Okyere Darko, had told the court the AG had advised that they discontinue the case due to lack of evidence.

The eight were charged with causing disturbances in court, resisting arrest, and rescuing persons in lawful custody.

But commenting on this matter on his Facebook page, Mr Bentil said: “Dear Police, you failed to protect a court and a judge sitting over a case, to prevent brigands from attacking a court, to prevent the brigands from freeing people in lawful custody and to arrest the escapees (they surrendered themselves).

“Now you are telling us you didn't see the brigands over running the court in broad daylight. You cannot do the simple investigation to identify the brigands who rampaged in broad daylight.

“You arrested the wrong people, you cannot produce enough evidence to prove that what happened actually happened? You must be monumentally incompetent or criminally complicit or you must think we are all blinking fools! Which we are not. Beyond a certain point, consistent failure to do your job is clear evidence of complicity!”